Audi’s first big motor sport program in 1981 was based on the quattro permanent four-wheel drive. After numerous championship wins and the banning of four-wheel drive in FIA circuit-based racing series for the 1998 season, a model from Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm with four driven wheels now returns to the race tracks — the Audi R18 e-tron quattro.

Four-wheel drive in an LMP1 sports car: Audi, in its 30 year plus motor sport history, once again makes a pioneering step as the brand with the four rings becomes the first automobile manufacturer ever to field a diesel hybrid at Le Mans. “To develop the hybrid technology for Le Mans is at least as ambitious and challenging as our diesel project was in its early stages,” explains Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “The first test results are very encouraging and we are intrigued to see just how this technology performs in combination with our ultra lightweight technology on the race track at Le Mans.”